AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The admissions council here at Black Mountain thinks my mother, from California, passed away and I moved out here to live with my rich aunt and attend school. My mother did die, but I hadn’t seen her in so long that I couldn’t tell you exactly when I had last spoken to her. She chose a needle in her vein over her own daughter, and she made that choice long before I wised-up and moved out on my own. It wasn’t easy; in fact, it was hard as hell, and I spent more time living on the streets than I will ever admit. Once I got a little older I began staying in shelters, and that, at least, was a little better. I do have an aunt that lives out here. She’s not rich, she’s mostly a bitch, and I’m definitely not living with her.
If I were going to be here for a long time, I’d worry they would discover the truth. I just need to finish this year out. That seems simple, but I also need to make sure I get the best grades possible and win over a few of the faculty so they might help me get the scholarship I need. When put like that, it seems like an impossible mountain I might never climb.
I was determined to do it, though. I didn’t have a choice.
I had a plan and I was going to carry it out. I wasn’t going to wind up like my mother – or any of my family, really. I would work my ass off and then these cocky, know-it-all preppies here at Black Mountain would be beneath me. Because I wasn’t going to stop until I could live the life the kids in this damn school took for granted.
I round the corner, so engrossed in my thoughts that I almost plow into some guy.
“Shit, I’m sorry,” I mutter.
“It’s fine. Watch where you’re going,” the guy says, barely sparing me a glance. I don’t respond; there’s not much to say to that. I don’t know the guy, but I recognize him.
He was the guy interviewing for the scholarship when I was there. Reese Trenton.
I know the name, I have it memorized, mostly because he got the scholarship I sorely needed. It doesn’t matter. I made it work. I may not like what I have to do, but I’m doing it just the same.
I won’t allow my plans to be derailed.
No matter what I have to do to attend Black Mountain Academy, I’ll do it.
And that’s all there is to it.3Mike“Dude, are you even paying attention to me?” Davis asks.
“Earth to Big Mike,” Ben laughs.
I pull my gaze away from the girl across the cafeteria and back to my buddies. Big Mike has a lot of friends. I have to so that I can keep up this damn show I’ve built. I rarely let anyone see the real Mike. If anyone does, it would be Ben and Davis, but even they only get to see what I let them. They’re on the ball team with me, but I never trust anyone enough to fully let them in.
I just don’t have that in me. I don’t trust anyone.
“Don’t tell me you’re scoping out Black Mountain’s newest talent,” Davis laughs.
I do my best not to roll my eyes – Big Mike wouldn’t do that. Davis has it so easy. He has no fucking idea. His parents are loaded just like mine, but he doesn’t have the shadow of Parker Huntington looming over him. He also doesn’t have a father that he can’t please no matter what he does.
My brother is the current poster boy for the Major Leagues. He started in the rookie league in Texas and now he’s hit the big time. It was hard enough for me when he was in the lower ranks, but now it’s all I ever hear about – especially from dear old dad. I force those thoughts out of my head and turn my attention to my buddies. I lean back in the metal seat, paste a cocky I-don’t-give-a-fuck look on my face and smirk.
“You know it,” I boast, and honestly, I’m not lying. I’ve been looking at the girl from the hallway this morning. She’s been sitting at a table all by herself since shortly after I got here. She’s eating an apple – that’s it – and she has her nose in a book. I can’t tell what book, but it’s definitely a textbook.
Is she a nerd?
I’ve fucked a few, but none that look like her. She has hair that’s on the verge of being curly, but more relaxed, and it’s this beautiful white-gold color that makes her stand out in a crowded room. The sun is shining through the dormer windows and again I’m struck by her beauty. There are a lot of beautiful women in and out of this school, and I’ve had most of them. But she’s special.
